Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

स समृद्धिमवाप्नोति दुरापामकृतात्मभिः । तत्रैव संस्थितं पश्येच्छ्रीमुखं विवरप्रियम्

Transliteration

sa samṛddhimavāpnoti durāpāmakṛtātmabhiḥ | tatraiva saṃsthitaṃ paśyecchrīmukhaṃ vivarapriyam

Translation

Người ấy sẽ đạt được phú quý thịnh vượng—điều khó có đối với kẻ không tu sửa. Ngay tại đó, cũng nên chiêm bái Śrīmukha, vị thần ưa thích hang động linh thiêng (vivara).

Word by Word

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (nominative), एकवचनम् (singular)

• samṛddhim: prosperity
• samṛddhim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: samṛddhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः (feminine), द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (accusative), एकवचनम् (singular)

• avāpnoti: attains
• avāpnoti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ava-āp (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/वर्तमान), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम् (singular)

• durāpām: hard to obtain
• durāpām: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur- (उपसर्ग/प्रातिपदिक) + āpya (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √āp, potential/gerundive sense)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः (feminine), द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (accusative), एकवचनम् (singular); कर्मधारयः: दुराप्या (hard-to-obtain)

• akṛta-ātmabhiḥ: by those of undisciplined nature (i.e., unattainable for them)
• akṛta-ātmabhiḥ: Comparison/Agent-exclusion (अपादान-भाव/तुलना)
• Type: Noun
• Root: a- (नञ्) + kṛta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √kṛ) + ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (masculine), तृतीया-विभक्तिः (instrumental), बहुवचनम् (plural); बहुव्रीहिः: अकृत आत्मा येषां ते (undisciplined persons)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (locative adverb)

• eva: indeed, just
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphatic particle)

• saṃsthitam: standing/located
• saṃsthitam: Karma (Object complement/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam-√sthā (धातु) → saṃsthita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; past passive participle)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः (neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (accusative), एकवचनम् (singular); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP)

• paśyet: should see
• paśyet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/सम्भावना), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम् (singular)

• śrīmukham: Śrīmukha (proper name) / the auspicious-faced one
• śrīmukham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक) + mukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः (neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (accusative), एकवचनम् (singular); कर्मधारयः: श्रीमत् मुखम्

• vivara-priyam: fond of caves/crevices
• vivara-priyam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vivara (प्रातिपदिक) + priya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः (neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (accusative), एकवचनम् (singular); तत्पुरुषः: विवरं प्रियं यस्य तत् (as adjective to śrīmukham)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (contextual continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śrīmukha (vivara-priya)

Type: cave

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: ‘priye’ interlocutor

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee, having worshipped the Mothers, receives ‘samṛddhi’ symbolized by overflowing grain and coins; then the path turns toward a rocky cleft/cave where a radiant-faced deity ‘Śrīmukha’ is enshrined.

Characters & Entities

• Śrīmukha
• Vivara (cave/cleft)
• Mātṛs (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Self-discipline joined to sacred worship yields tangible and intangible prosperity, and leads the pilgrim onward to further holy darśana.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śrīmukha associated with a vivara (cave/cleft) within the Prabhāsa-kṣetra circuit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

After (or alongside) the Mothers’ worship, one should take darśana of Śrīmukha situated at the cave.